Monday, September 07, 2009

Do you love refried beans and cheese? Do you love a crusty yet soft roll? Then allow me to introduce you to a superb Mexican dish: molletes.

Earlier this summer, I traveled to Mexico City. It was the rainy season, which means that every afternoon it would rain for an hour or so. By the time I landed from New York, however, that day’s shower had passed, leaving the air clear and the streets clean.

I knew I wanted to stay in the Condesa neighborhood and I found a delightful place called The Red Tree House that was filled with light and trees—two things often in short supply here in New York City.

My agenda for the trip was precise: eat well and take photos. On the first morning, I woke up early with the plan to go to El Mercado Merced, the largest market in Mexico City. Before leaving, I walked through the dining area and saw a lavish display of pastries, fruits, juices and yogurt. The owner asked I wanted to stay for breakfast. The cold spread was indeed gorgeous, but I wanted something hot—namely refried beans—and so I declined and left the house.

This pattern continued for the next two days. As I was leaving, the owner or manager would ask if I wanted breakfast, and I would politely decline the pastries because I wanted to eat beans.
Three days into my stay I was talking to the manager, Ernesto. He asked if I was so interested in food, why I never stayed for breakfast. I told him that I wanted hot food, street food—I wanted to eat like the locals. He laughed and said, “Well you’re missing out because we have the best breakfast in all of Mexico City!”

Ernesto then told me that besides the pastries, the ladies also made a hot breakfast every morning. He then rattled off a list of what had been on the menu every day since my arrival. And as I listened to him, I realized that I had been missing out on some of my favorite Mexican breakfasts. I was a fool.

What had I missed? Namely, molletes. (Pronounced: mo-YEH-tehs.) One of the mornings I had been at the inn, the cooks had made molletes—a dish comprised of crusty rolls known as bolillos, split open and topped with salsa, refried beans and melted cheese.

If you know me at all, you know this: refried beans are my comfort food. And granted, I had eaten some wonderful beans during my stay in Mexico City, but I had missed out on a chance to eat probably some of the best refried beans, right there at my home away from home.

I asked Ernesto if they would be serving molletes again before I left. He said no. But no matter, as soon as I returned to New York, my first order of business was to make my own molletes, on homemade bolillo rolls. And while extremely satisfying, I do believe another trip to the Red Tree House is in order—soon—so I can compare my molletes to theirs.

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350
Split the bolillos in half, lengthwise. Top each half with 1 tablespoon of salsa, 1/8 cup of refried beans and 1/4 cup of cheese. Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with extra salsa.

Notes: This is how I like my molletes, but the fun thing about them is that you can make them any way you like. You can make them with black beans, borracho beans, even no beans if you prefer. And feel free to add bacon or sausage.

Method:
Mix together one cup of flour, yeast and warm water. Add one more cup of flour, sugar, salt and oil and stir until ingredients are combined but dough is still wet and shaggy. Let dough rest for 15 minutes.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup of flour on a clean surface and knead dough until it shapes into a ball, about 10 minutes.

Place into a greased bowl, cover and let it rise until doubled in size, about an hour.

After dough has risen, divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Take each piece and flatten it into a circle. Take one side, and fold it in half into the center. Take the opposite side and do the same. Roll folded dough with your hands until it’s spindle shaped, wider in the middle and tapered at the ends. (Here’s an expert shaping bolillos.)

Place shaped rolls on a greased or parchment-paper lined cookie sheet that’s sprinkled with a bit of cornmeal, cover, and let rise until doubled in size, about an hour.

Twenty minutes before baking, heat oven to 425 degrees. Five minutes before baking, place an oven-safe pan filled with water on the bottom of the oven.

Mix 1/2 cup of warm water with 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and brush on each roll. Then, with a sharp knife, razor or lame, make a slash lengthwise through each roll.

Place rolls on bottom rack of oven (be careful when opening oven as steam might come out) and cook for 15 minutes or until the bolilllos are light brown in color and make a hollow sound when you thump them.

These keep for a couple of days, though they if they get too soft. just reheat in the oven to firm them up. They also freeze well.

Oh wow! These look fantastic. I love the story of missing out on the molletes every day. That's so something I would do. Sometimes I get so fixated about finding amazing food while on trips that I miss out on some of the most obvious. I'll definitely be giving the homemade bolillos a shot!

These molletes look delicious!! Thanks for posting a recipe for bolillos.

FYI, the correct pronunciation for "molletes" is more like [mo-YEH-tehs] rather than [mol-yay-tays] (and "bolillo" [bo-LEE-yo]).

The double "ll" is always pronounced as "yuh" as in the "yu" sound in the English word "yup" with NO single "l" sound. Also, the "e" in Spanish is always pronounced like the "e" sound in "let". Hope this helps!

those molletes look awsome. Here in Spain a mollete refers to the type of bread, and it´s a very specific one from only a few villages of Andalucía. My husband comes from one of them, so I can certify that he´d have a fit at the idea of calling that by the sainted name of mollete, but then he´d probably eat three at a sitting.

YUM! I've had these on my yearly trips to San Miguel, Mexico and they are so simple, but so good. I try and try again, but my beans are never as good as they make in Mexico. I probably don't want to know why that is.

a long story, but ya gotta hear this: my hubby's best friend is Spanish and all of my son's 5yrs, robert has teased him that he is his "other" dad to the point that my son(who has the blondest hair you've ever laid eyes on)says that his 2nd last name is Moon!which is quiet a riot here in our town of a popullation less than 2,000-and everyone knows my son-he doesn't have a shy bone in his body and loves to make people laugh-so, we say he is the little blonde mexican!ha! well, now back to the point--robert loves to cook up true mexican dishes for me because my food pallete doesn't know what "too spicy" means, and i love all true mexican food!! while we was planning our labor day week-end cook-out, robert made ceviche for me. as i pigged out, another woman asked how to make it, but less spicy. i thought that sounded so close to the recipe you had posted, but i was too consumed with eating to pay much attention. then he said we'd make corn on the cob, but it'd be mexican, and described it. i came home, went to your blog, and omg--exactly like yours!!so, now robert has to read your blog! and thank-you coz i now say i'm not a pig, but that i have to eat a helping for "the homesick texan"

Where I come from, we'd call that Mexican bruschetta or breakfast bruschetta. . Never thought about putting refritos on bread and topping with cheese. I'm gonna roll this one out soon on my friends. This would be good anytime.

This post made me so hungry I had to whip together a bastardized version to try. I'm not a baker but I had Pepperidge Farm bake-off rolls and a can of refried beans. I promise that the salsa verde I had was homemade though. My semi-homemade version was darn tasty. Thanks for introducing me to something new. For those of us who are baking-averse, what's a supermarket equivalent for bolillos?

I love molletes! Here in Mazatlan, they usually butter the roll first and put it face down on a grill to toast it...yum. It's the perfect snack at 3:00 in the morning after bar hopping.

You would probably also love hurraches. Take masa dough and make a long, flat "boat" out of it, about the size and shape of a sandal sole. The sides of your oat should be about 1/3 inch tall. Cook the boat in some oil, then fill it will hot refried beans and cheese. Top with fresh salsa and enjoy.

I'm not much of a chef but fortunately my local grocery has a huge bin of bolillos they bake every day. I normally use them for sandwiches. I also grabbed a few cans of frijoles refritos con tomate y chile verde and a bag of shredded pepper jack cheese. The result was a delicious breakfast and an addition to the short list of things I can cook without disaster.

Rolls are easiest to make using a bread machine on Dough setting. After it mixes and is raised just pull it out and go on with the recipe. Oh yeah, liquids first, dry ingredients, yeast last. I lived in west Texas most of my life and love all Tex-Mex or Mexican food!

My eyes are tearing up...I've been an avid fan of true Mexican food for nearly thirty years and have been looking for a "doable" recipe for homemade bolillos for nearly that long. After reading your recipe, I'm encouraged to think that I've met my heart's desire. I've been reading your blog for a very long time and have "lifted" several of your recipes but this may well be the crowning glory.My father left his birth state of Texas nearly fifty years ago but brought the cuisine to our family table (in Washington State) regularly. I love following your posts and comparing the similarities between your food heritage and mine.

Hello, I found your blog last night whilst looking for breakfast taco goodness (not like a Hill Country girl like myself needs a RECIPE for that so much as inspiration!). I came back this morning, and in less than 30 minutes, I have asked my mom to mail me some pickled okra (oh, how I love it), looked around online to see where to get barbacoa in Las Vegas, and made a note to go buy myself a new molcajete since mine's gone missing. If any other homesick Texans are visiting or living in Las Vegas, I'd like to recommend CJ's Barbecue on Sahara / Durango (? I think?) for their perusal. They have Lone Star, Bluebell, and Frito Pie on the menu. No, I don't work for them, I promise. I squeed when I found them the first time and figured someone else reading this blog might do the same. :)

this sounds absolutely delicious. I have an obsession with putting anything and everything on a piece of toasted bread and calling it crostini. this seems like the mexican version I have been making for years, but never until now knew was an actual dish! wonderful! I am going to make your molletes all the time!

I love Mexico City. I was usually pampered alot on my visits in the 80s and 90s to see my Great-Uncle Honore and penpals Rosi and Maria Jesus. Rosi's family own La Blanca Cafe on Cinco de Mayo Blvd just down from the Zocalo in downtown Mex DF. They loved taking me there, and everywhere. Especially for crepes and churros. My uncle took me to a special tamale restaurant and many other fab. places until he vanished probably to heaven bodily at age 90. He was born in 1908 and left in 1998. I miss him still terribly. Who will I see Xochimilco again with? Or Oaxaca? or Puebla? He was the best man I've ever met. Like a little Mexican lepricaun. Always jolly and talking to strangers.... Food and Mexico City always a great memory for me.

i love molletes! there's actually this really great place in philly that serves a really fresh, tasty molletes for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. i'd never had it until recently - one of my new favorite dishes.

When I would visit my grandparents in Guadalajara I would spend every morning walking down to the local bakery with our housekeeper, Mika, to buy fresh bolillos. We'd eat them spread with fresh jam and butter, papaya and lime and fresh squeezed orange juice. It's my favorite breakfast on earth.

For mid-morning snacks we'd stave off our hunger until comida with molletes. Never for breakfast. It was my favorite part of Mexico. Thanks for reminding me.

I moved away from Texas at age 15 and I always miss the food! Being in Maine is quite a bit different (and fishy!).

This dish is amazing and I will be trying it out with my kids tomorrow night! I'll let you know what happens.

When my hubby and I sit down to dinner, we always pair our Texas style food with a good red wine (click on my name for the link of a good wine review site). BUT - this time, we think we're going to go with a white. What do you think?

I find that this site matches me exactly. Home sick for Texas. Thanks for bringing me a little closer to home.

I am not a huge bread baker (it stresses me out with the rising and the yeast, and oh dear) but you can be sure I'll be trying my hand at bolillos, which I use with everything from sandwiches to poached eggs.

ALso, the video is linked to El Bolillo panaderia in the Near Northside of Houston - and it has the best pan dulce of any bakery in town, better than anything I get except what I get when I'm in my hometown on the Tex/Mex border. If you are ever in Houston, GO THERE.

I've had the molletes at Red Tree House and they really are wonderful! You should definitely go back and try them!

I'm glad you love Mexico City as much as we do. We got so many dire warnings before going there that we wondered whether we'd made a mistake booking a vacation there, but we LOVED everything about that city and would definitely go back (and would not stay anywhere besides the Red Tree House... the place is fantastic... the only B&B I've ever been homesick for after leaving).

Thanks so much for the recommendation! I spent a week in San Miguel (where close friends from college, and Texas, live) and we capped off my trip with a weekend in DF staying at the Red Tree House. It was fantastic - much appreciated.

I can't wait to try this. I totally agree with what you said about refried beans being comfort food, the sign of a true texan....I always want mexican beans and rice when I'm sick or down. Recently, I've discovered a healthier option...that gives me the same feeling...quinoa and black beans topped with pico de gallo and diced avacado.

I was browsing your site for some new yummy ideas (looooove your carnitas) when I stumbled upon this. Earlier today, I had some leftover homemade beans, bread and a bunch of cheese, threw it in the oven and baked till melted. I had no idea there was actually a name for it! It was so yummy, I thought it had to exist. I didn't use rolls, but some thick cut homemade wheat bread. I think as long as your bread is dense enough, you can probably get away with many different types.

My name is Candida. I had one question, because I don't bake very much: is the "dry yeast" called active dry yeast at the store? I want to make sure I bought the right one before I proceed. =) Thanks so much, I can't wait to use these for my tortas!

Thank you Lisa. It's Candida again. =) I did everything as instructed, but I ended up falling asleep while waiting for the rolls to rise, and they came out a bit flatter than expected. I also put the water on the bottom rack of the oven, and the rolls on the top rack. And I tried to slash them but the dough was too soft, but they came out really well despite all of these issues. Looking forward to making a fresh batch the right way later on today. Thank you so much for sharing!